Tracey Dixon

My sepsis story started with me feeling poorly and hot at work on 29th April 2013. I felt hot and scared but as a carer in a care home just thought I’d be ok. Can’t remember anything from 3pm till 8pm. Got home and rang 111 who told me to come to out of hours at 11.45pm.

I was ill got told I had flu. Boy did I just I thought I was dying. Anyway, few days later got worse went to PGP as locum wouldn’t come out. I had a chest infection so antibiotics it was. Then few days later it took me 20minutes to get downstairs.

Doctor came to see me and I was blue lighted into hospital. I had pneumonia and kidney failure. (Sepsis and Pneumonia, Sepsis and Kidney Failure) I nearly died then. Spent 4 days in ICU to be told I had sepsis.

I lost all my mobility. Body swelled up then was told my heart was damaged. I now had endocarditis so had to be transferred an hour away to another hospital. 2 weeks later I had to have open heart surgery. First surgeon refused to operate as he said I was too ill and would die on table but lucky for me, another gave me 50/50 chance of survival so on 9th, July 2013, I had aortic valve replaced and my tricuspid valve repaired but later had to have a permanent pacemaker fitted. I was discharged on 23rd July 2013. I’ve had to learn to walk again not got it back fully so I’m registered disabled but alive. I have PTSD because of this. (

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